Web to Print

Broadly defined, web-to-print (also known as Web2Print or W2P) refers to the online ordering of printed products. These include business items such as folders, business cards, and stationery, as well as advertising materials like placards, flyers, brochures, displays, and banners. 

This definition encompasses the various functions of online printing: 

• Ordering prefabricated, stock products or print-on-demand products from a web-to-print shop 
• Configuring printed products and uploading print files 
• Editing and ordering design templates online 
• Creating custom advertising materials in an online editor 

In this article, we want to focus especially on web-to-print solutions that you can use to create custom printed products using pre-made print templates via an internal web-to-print shop. Then, you can automatically send the print files to your printing partner. 

Closed vs. Open Shops 

Web-to-print shops that are designed specifically for a company are also known as closed shops. Only employees, partners, and other authorized users have access to these. Open shops, on the other hand, can be accessed by anyone on the Internet. 

Web-to-print applications consist of three key components: an online shop, an editor, and a database. The editor serves as a tool for opening and editing the pre-made print templates. Meanwhile, the database supplies the editor with all the necessary data: alongside the templates, this includes images, videos, text and addresses. Lastly, the custom printed products can be ordered from the integrated online shop, a closed shop internal to your company. 

Here is a step-by-step guide to online printing via the web-to-print system: 

• Step 1: Create print templates for different marketing materials and upload them to the web-to-print system. 
• Step 2: Select a suitable template for the desired print product. 
• Step 3: Individually edit and adapt the template in the online editor. 
• Step 4: Save the finished print product. 
• Step 5: Submit the print data directly to the print shop online, order the product in the required quantity and have it delivered. 
• Step 6: Receive print products, distribute at the point of sale and enjoy successful marketing! 

Web-to-print is a simple, cost-effective solution for creating customized print products. You benefit from the following advantages: 

• You can reduce the workload on your marketing department and design team. 
• Instead, your employees can create their own printed products in the intuitive web-to-print software. No special design skills are necessary. 
• The online web-to-print solutions are accessible anytime and anywhere. You can edit your advertising materials directly in the browser. 
• That way, it’s easy to supply your local and international locations, partners and points of sale with high-quality, coordinated marketing materials. 
• Web-to-print concepts streamline and accelerate many processes in your company. There is no need for time-consuming consultations with the marketing department, or corrections with the printing company. You can send your print orders directly to the printing company and receive your printed products in just a few days. 
• This saves you a lot of time and, ultimately, money. 
• Even a short-notice demand for advertising materials can quickly be met with web-to-print systems. Now you can execute successful marketing campaigns, any time. 
• Thanks to pre-made, approved print templates and pre-defined access authorizations, you can ensure that all your brand specifications are met and all print products are CI-compliant. 
• In addition, the web-to-print system provides an overview and complete control over all activities. You can view your orders, check your inventory and manage approved templates and print files at any time. 

Decentralized companies with a large network of sales partners, branches and subsidiaries are particularly likely to benefit from web-to-print solutions. Web-to-print enables different sites to create printed products independently on demand. Products can be individually tailored to the regional and local requirements, as well as customer groups. This is a necessity in order to execute a successful local marketing campaign. 

Web-to-print eliminates long detours via a central marketing or design department. Even smaller companies will be familiar with the problem of overworked design teams and complex processes in the management of their assets and marketing materials. That’s why they too can benefit from investing in a suitable web-to-print solution. 

Example application: Window and door manufacturer 

As an example, let’s take a look at the company profine GmbH. The manufacturer of profiles for windows and doors produces numerous products around the world under three brand names. The company has 3,500 employees. We will now take a look at the everyday activities of a field sales representative at the company. 

For successful consultations and sales meetings with new and existing customers in her area, the representative regularly needs suitable printed products. These include business cards with her personal contact details and brochures with the latest products and regional prices. 

Let’s take the sales representative from the previous example. Her workflow is even simpler when she doesn’t need to manually enter her details into the templates every time she uses the web-to-print system’s online editor. Instead, the details are already saved in the system. Then she can select the appropriate details in a few clicks and fill in her business cards automatically. 

To enjoy the same benefits, connect your Digital Asset Management (DAM) software and Product Information Management (PIM) software to a web-to-print solution and use the Chili Publisher Connector for 4ALLPORTAL DAM. 

Benefits of an intelligent interface 

Chili Publisher is a web-to-print online editor by software provider CHILI publish, which you can use to create and edit templates for your marketing materials. The interface to the 4ALLPORTAL DAM system gives you direct access to your assets, media and data. 

Whether it’s images, videos, text, product details or contact details and addresses – you can simply “drag and drop” them into your templates and automatically create print-ready products. 

The marketing materials created can then be saved and managed in your DAM system. 

How to create printed products with the Chili Publisher Connector 

1. Your company’s design team creates template for every possible printed product, such as flyers, placards and brochures, using the online document editor Chili Publisher. When doing so, it is also possible to convert Adobe InDesign and Illustrator files. 

2. Meanwhile, the design team ensures that the print templates conform to the company’s CI and fulfill all other print specifications. At the same time, the design team decides which elements of the templates may be edited. 

3. The design team uploads the finished templates to the company’s closed web-to-print shop. 

4. If you want to order a printed product, you can now open the required template in the online editor. In it, you can adapt text, logos, images and other elements as required to create customized marketing materials. 

5. The required media and data can be retrieved from the connected 4ALLPORTAL DAM and PIM system, and inserted into the appropriate section of the template with a click. 

6. The finished print file can be sent to the printing company via the online shop. The products are then printed in the selected design and quantity and delivered directly to the company or the desired location. 

7. In a few days, you receive your customized printed products. 

The interface between the DAM system and Chili Publisher ensures a smooth workflow during the production and management of all your marketing materials. 

A central platform for creating printed products 

When you integrate Chili Publisher in the 4ALLPORTAL DAM system, you get a central platform for creating high-quality printed products. Both the DAM and web-to-print systems are accessible online from any location. That way, employees in different locations, sales partners and dealers can create approved printed products according to their needs. You can define who has access to what, as required. 

The DAM and PIM systems are your central data source, so you always have correct and up-to-date data when editing your printed products.